Name: Cartier Tank Louis Cartier WGTA0011
Brand: Cartier
SKU: WGTA0011

If you want a dress watch on a leather strap, the Tank Louis Cartier is the answer. Designed in 1922 (a direct evolution of Louis Cartier's original 1917 Tank), the LC is the cushioned, gold-cased, narrow-lugged variation that defined what a dress watch should look like for the next century. Current production is hand-wind, 33mm, on Cartier-supplied leather, with the iconic blued sword hands.

What it is

The Tank itself dates to 1917, inspired by the silhouette of Renault tanks; the 'Tank Louis Cartier' variant launched 1922 and has been continuously produced since (with quartz, automatic, and hand-wind movements in different generations). The current production reference (WGTA0011 in pink gold, WGTA0017 in white gold) is hand-wind via Cartier's 1917 MC caliber. There are larger and smaller sibling variants; the 'Tank LC' designation in collector usage almost always refers to the 33mm dress-proportioned version on a leather strap.

Buying notes

Common things to check: case material (the pink-gold and white-gold versions trade at very different price points; verify hallmarks on the case-back); dial originality (refinished Cartier dials are spotted by the printing of the 'Cartier Paris' or 'Cartier' wordmark, the typography is unmistakable when original); strap and buckle (Cartier-supplied straps are leather + tang buckle in matching metal; replacements are common and acceptable but should be priced accordingly); crown (a sapphire cabochon, often blue, sometimes replaced, replacement is acceptable if disclosed). Vintage Tank LCs (pre-1990s gold-cased manual-wind examples) require additional dial and movement-authenticity verification.

Market read

Current-production Tank LC stock is broadly available at Cartier boutiques and from authorized dealers. Pre-owned examples within 2 years of purchase trade at meaningful discounts to retail (~15-25%), one of the better positions in dress watches for a buyer who doesn't need the boutique experience. Older boutique-authenticated examples (signed warranty cards, original strap and dust cover) carry the strongest resale.

Service expectations

The 1917 MC is a modern hand-wind caliber; service is performed by Cartier and by select Cartier-authorized independents. Service interval is generous, 7–10 years, and the cost is modest by haute-horlogerie standards (low-four-figures). The dressy use case means most Tank LC examples come to market with light wear and infrequent service, both of which is fine for the watch.

Editorial copy is AI-drafted from primary sources and reviewed by Grail Atlas before publication. Where the text is uncertain about a fact, it says so. Email corrections@grailatlas.com if something reads wrong. Signals on this page (community, OSINT) are clearly separated from the editorial sections.

Mass-produced#1 in familyOfficial press photos

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Movement tier: unclassified · caliber Cartier Cal. 1917 MC: manual-wind, in-house, 21,600bph, 38h PR, 19j; thin profile for dress watches · 38h power reserve · family design Louis Cartier

Small case: suits slender wrists (under 6.5 in / 16.5 cm)

25.5 mm case. A compact, elegant wear. Particularly at home on narrower wrists where larger cases can overhang.

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Authentication

Blued sword hands with correct taper and white-lacquered Roman numeral chapter ring authenticate the Tank Louis Cartier

Known issues in the market

Dial printing quality on fakes is the most common tell; Roman numerals must be crisp and evenly spaced
Sword hands must be properly blued steel, not painted or applied blue color
Manual-wind movement should be signed correctly; counterfeit examples sometimes use quartz movements
Cartier reference numbers differ across yellow gold, white gold, and rose gold variants; verify metal matches documentation

Area	What to check	What is correct	Red flag
dial	Roman numeral chapter ring and dial printing	White lacquered dial; Roman numerals printed in black with correct font and spacing; "Cartier" at 12 between numerals; Arabic "7" at the 7 position (Cartier tradition); "Paris" on older examples, "Swiss Made" at 6 on modern	Uneven Roman numeral spacing; missing Arabic "7"; blurry or thin dial printing; yellowed or cracked lacquer on modern examples
hands	Blued sword hands	Blued steel hands with sword shape tapering to a point; even blue color without paint or coating; minute hand extends to chapter ring; hands lie flat parallel to dial	Painted blue rather than heat-blued steel; hands that do not reach chapter ring; uneven color; hands that catch on dial or each other
case	Rectangular case proportions and finishing	Rectangular case with "brancards" (side rails) in yellow or white gold per variant; case proportions consistent with documented LC dimensions (27.4mm x 34.8mm for large); polished finish; sapphire cabochon crown	Case proportions inconsistent with documented sizes; mixed finishing (satin where polished is correct); fake or missing sapphire cabochon on crown
movement	Manual-wind movement signing	Manual-wind movement, no rotor; "Cartier" or "ETA" base signed per generation; movement visible through display back on modern examples; no self-winding rotor	Rotor present (indicates wrong movement); quartz battery compartment; unsigned movement

Common legitimate replacements

Leather strap is the standard; aftermarket straps on a Cartier deployant clasp are common on secondary examples.
Sapphire cabochon crown is a wear point; inspect for chips or replacement with a non-sapphire synthetic.

Expert resources: Cartier authenticates via their service centers with serial lookup. Watchuseek Cartier forum and r/Cartier have detailed photo threads on genuine vs. fake Tank Louis Cartier.

Authentication guide

Last reviewed June 2026

The Tank Louis Cartier in yellow gold is the purest expression of the Tank form. The dial furniture -- Roman numeral proportions, railroad minute track, and blued hands -- is the primary authentication checkpoint. Reproductions consistently fail on the typeface geometry of the Roman numerals.

Known reproduction risks

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HIGH RISK

Roman numeral typeface does not match Cartier's proprietary geometry.

The "VII" crossbar on reproductions is typically too narrow or too high on the stem
The "IV" on reproductions often has the crossbar positioned incorrectly relative to the stem height
Overall numeral weight appears lighter or heavier than Cartier originals when compared side by side

This is the single fastest field tell. If the numerals look wrong, everything else is secondary.

HIGH RISK

Blued hands are painted or lacquered rather than genuinely heat-blued.

Painted hands appear uniformly dark blue with no tonal variation under changing light angles
Genuine blued steel shifts from blue to violet to grey-blue depending on light angle
Painted hands may show brush marks or surface gloss that genuine blued steel does not

MEDIUM

Cabochon crown stone is incorrect material or shape.

Flat or near-flat crown stone instead of the characteristic dome profile
Stone with no blue translucency, appearing as a solid blue oval
Crown tube that shows solder or adhesive around the stone setting

Dial variants by era

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Era	Description	Identifiers
2000s to present (current production, white lacquer dial)	White lacquer dial with black Roman numerals, blued sword-shaped hands, and a fine railroad minute track at the periphery.	Roman numerals in Cartier's proprietary typeface: the VII has a distinctive wide crossbar and the XII stacks cleanly within the upper quarter of the dial field Blued steel sword hands: genuinely blued, not painted, with a visible blue-violet tone that shifts under light rather than appearing uniformly dark Railroad minute track: fine parallel rails with consistent tick spacing at 60 divisions, not printed dots "Cartier" signature at the base of the dial in a specific serif face; the "C" in Cartier is wider than reproductions typically produce Cabochon sapphire crown: rounded, slightly domed, synthetic sapphire in a gold crown tube; not a flat stone
2000s to present (silvered sunburst dial variant)	Silvered guilloché or sunburst dial on some configurations within this reference family. Same hand and numeral specification.	Dial surface shows directional sunburst pattern from the center when viewed under a single light source at 45 degrees Roman numerals and "Cartier" text print over the guilloché without obscuring the underlying texture Blued hands remain the same profile as the lacquer variant

Service part flags

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Dial (Roman numerals and railroad track)

Original: The lacquer dial is flat with printed Roman numerals at consistent depth. The railroad minute track is composed of fine alternating long and short tick marks that are precisely spaced. Under 5x magnification, the print edges are clean with no ink spread.

Replacement tells

Roman numeral "I" strokes that are too thin or too thick relative to the other numerals on the same dial
Railroad track ticks that are uneven in spacing or appear fuzzy at the edges under magnification
"Cartier" text where the letterforms appear slightly compressed or where the "t" crossbar height differs from originals
Any yellowing or crazing in the lacquer surface suggesting a non-original dial

Cabochon sapphire crown

Original: Synthetic blue cabochon set in a fluted yellow gold crown tube. The cabochon is visibly domed and shows slight translucency. On the Tank Louis Cartier, the crown is on the left side of the case at 9 o'clock.

Replacement tells

Crown stone that is opaque rather than having the slight blue translucency of a synthetic sapphire cabochon
Crown tube that shows tool marks around the setting bezel, indicating aftermarket replacement
Stone that is flat or only very slightly raised rather than genuinely domed

Case finishing

Original: Yellow gold case with polished surfaces throughout. The Tank LC case has narrow, parallel side bands ("brancards") that are correctly polished. No brushed surfaces on this reference.

Replacement tells

Brancards (side rails) that show rounding or polishing that reduces their sharpness -- original case angles are crisp at the brancards
Case back that shows any brushing on a stated polished example
Lug ends that are rounded or show evidence of buffing beyond the original profile

Case back markings

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2000s to present

Solid yellow gold caseback (no exhibition) with engraved reference number and serial number
"CARTIER" engraved around the periphery of the caseback
French hallmarks for 18k gold (750 purity stamp with owl cartouche for French market pieces)
Water resistance rating (typically 30m) and "Swiss Made" engraving
Movement caliber designation where applicable (Cal. 430 MC for the manual-wind versions)

Movement tells

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The Tank Louis Cartier uses Cal. 430 MC (manual wind, proprietary movement). No exhibition caseback, so movement condition is assessed during service only.
A correctly serviced movement should have no magnetism and winds smoothly with no roughness through the full crown rotation range.
Any caseback that has been opened improperly will show tool marks at the back opening groove; the original finishing should be clean.

Sources: Cartier official -- Tank Louis Cartier; WatchUSeek -- Cartier authentication thread; Cartier Passion -- Tank reference archive.